Ecclesiastes 4
1 I thought some more about all the suffering that people are caused to experience on the earth [MTY]. I saw the tears of people who were (oppressed/treated cruelly) and who had no one to comfort/encourage them. Those who oppressed them had power, and there was absolutely no one who was able to comfort those who were being oppressed.
Og jeg vendte tilbage og saa alle de undertrykte, som ilde medhandles under Solen; og se, de undertryktes Taarer, og der var ingen, som trøstede dem, og fra deres Undertrykkeres Haand udgik Vold; derimod havde de ingen, som trøstede dem.
2 [So] I thought that those who are already dead are more fortunate than those who are still alive.
Da prisede jeg de døde, som alt vare døde, fremfor de levende, som endnu ere i Live;
3 And those who have not been born yet are more fortunate than those who are still alive and those who have died, [because] those who have not been born have not seen all the evil things that are done on the earth.
men lykkelig fremfor begge dog den, som endnu ikke har været til, som ikke har set den onde Gerning, der gøres under Solen.
4 I also thought about all the hard work that people do and the skills that they have. And I thought about how they compete with each other because they are envious of others, [and I concluded that] this also is something that is not accomplishing anything useful, [like] chasing the wind.
Og jeg saa alt Arbejde og al Dygtighed i Gerningen, at det paadrog en Mand Misundelse af hans Næste; ogsaa dette er Forfængelighed og Aandsfortærelse.
5 Foolish people [refuse to work]; they sit idly, with their hands folded, [and do not work]. [So] they ruin themselves.
Daaren lægger sine Hænder sammen og fortærer sit eget Kød.
6 [So I say], “It is better to be content with not having much money, than to work very hard and try to get a lot of money, which is [as useless as] chasing the wind.”
En Haandfuld med Ro er bedre end begge Næver fulde med Møje og Aandsfortærelse.
7 I thought about something else that happens on the earth [MTY] that seems senseless.
Og jeg vendte tilbage og saa Forfængelighed under Solen:
8 There are men who live alone; they do not have a wife or children or any brothers living with them; every day they work [very hard], without stopping, to get a lot of money, but they are never satisfied with the things that they have. They never ask [themselves], “Why am I working very hard to earn more money? Why am I not doing things that would cause me to be happy?” What they do also seems senseless.
Der er den, som er ene og ikke har nogen anden og har hverken Søn eller Broder; dog er der ingen Ende paa alt hans Arbejde, og hans Øjne mættes ikke af Rigdom; — og: „For hvem arbejder jeg og lader min Sjæl fattes det gode”? ogsaa dette er Forfængelighed og en slem Møje.
9 Having someone [work] with you is better than being by yourself [all the time]. If you have a friend, he can help you to do your work.
Bedre to end een; thi de have en god Løn for deres Arbejde.
10 If you fall down, he can help you get up again. But if you fall down when you are alone, it will be difficult for you, because there will be no one to help you stand up.
Thi dersom de falde, kan den ene oprejse sin Stalbroder, men ve den, som er ene; naar han falder, er der ingen anden til at oprejse ham.
11 Similarly, if two people sleep together, they can keep each other warm. But someone who sleeps alone will certainly not [RHQ] be warm.
Ogsaa naar to ligge sammen, da have de Varme; men hvorledes kan en alene blive varm?
12 Someone who is alone can easily be attacked and defeated by another person, but two people can help each other and (resist/defend themselves against) someone who attacks them. [Three people can defend themselves even more easily], [like] a rope that is made from three cords is harder to break [than a rope made from two cords].
Og om nogen vilde overvælde ham, som er ene, kunde to staa ham imod; og den tredobbelte Traad sønderrives ikke saa snart.
13 A young man who is poor but wise is a better person than a foolish old king who refuses to pay attention when people try to give him good advice.
Bedre faren er et ungt Menneske, som er viist, end en gammel Konge, som er en Daare, og som endnu ikke ved at lade sig advare.
14 It is possible for a young man like that to succeed and some day become king, even if his parents were poor or even if he was in prison some of the time.
Thi af Fangehuset udgik hin for at blive Konge, medens den, som var født i sit Kongerige, blev fattig.
15 But then some other young man becomes king, and everyone (starts to support/is pleased with) him.
Jeg saa alle dem, som leve, som vandre under Solen, at holde sig til det andet unge Menneske, der indtager hans Sted.
16 Large crowds of people crowd around him. But after a few years, they will reject him, [too]. So it is all senseless, [like] chasing after the wind.
Der var ikke Ende paa alt det Folk, paa alt det, som han gik i Spidsen for, dog skulle Efterkommerne ikke glædes over ham: Thi ogsaa dette er Forfængelighed og Aandsfortærelse.
